World Premiere, Liza Seigido’s Ascensions Mariae (The Ascension of Mary) for Live Processed Bass Trombone and Video Overlay

Music in Miami’s Winter Solstice Concert (Trinity Cathedral, Miami-Sunday 15 December 2013 at 6:00 pm), is slated to host the world premiere of Ascensionis Mariae (The Ascension of Mary), a two-movement sacred work for live processed bass trombone and video overlay. The work, showcasing the bass trombone’s expressive power and reverent melodious tone, was written for Dr. David Brubeck, a Miami-based virtuoso bass trombonist. The bass trombone, which is the only sound source in Ascensionis, is sampled and processed in real-time by Max/MSP applications designed to turn the sounds of a solo performer into a diverse assemblage of sonorities. The first movement, entitled “Lamento Pro Maria,” is a guided improvisation that draws inspiration from vocal traditions of the Near East and plainchant. The second movement, an ascending crab canon, was inspired by medieval polyphony.

The video overlay was constructed from two images, which were composited together to evoke the expressive, yet reverent, characters of both movements. The first image was a vintage photograph of a statuette of the Virgin Marry from La Capilla de Belen (The Chapel of Bethlehem) in Marianao, Cuba. The second image was that of a living tree and a drying fallen tree. The composite of the fallen tree and of the statuette, mirroring the lamenting character of the music, will be projected over the performer in the first movement. The composite of the living tree and the statuette, mirroring the triumphant character of the music, will be projected over the performer in the second movement.

Dr. Liza Seigido is a Miami-based composer, performer, music-educator, and founding director of “Kendall Sound Art”—a monthly new music concert series hosted in West Kendall Regional Library. Liza is an alumna of New World School of the Arts, Florida International University and the University of Miami. She is a founding member of “Fridamusiq”—a Miami-based avant-garde improvisational ensemble, and is currently teaching at Miami Dade College and the Superior Academy of Music. Her music has been performed across the United States and in Prague, Czech Republic.